LAHORE: Future of the mega housing project — LDA City — seems gloomy, as those entrusted with the task to accomplish it are not ready to do so keeping in view the ongoing probe into the issue by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

“What to do when the project is being probed by NAB involving various officials appearing before the investigation officers in this regard. We can only go ahead if the NAB clears it, directing the LDA to either start further land acquisition or develop the scheme at the land acquired so far,” says an LDA official, who requested anonymity. The LDA governing body had approved to launch the project on May 25, 2011 after issuance of a notification under section 18 of LDA Act, 1975 on May 20 the same year.

Subsequently another notification under section 13 (3) of LDA Act, 1975 was issued on Oct 27, 2011, regarding announcement of execution of the scheme. The notification under section 4 (1) (2) of Land Acquisition Act, 1894 was issued on Nov 24, 2011 about the acquisition of as many as 60,000 kanal in Mouzas Halloki, Toor Wariach, Thay Panju, Sidher, Rakh Jhedu, Katcha and Kahna.

Probe into files sold by development partners under way

Later, the authority decided on March 16, 2013, to launch the scheme on the pattern of DHA and to engage development partners to negotiate with land owners and to get the land transferred to LDA. Under a formula, the LDA agreed to give development partners 31 per cent exemption of the plots against surrend of the total land.

According to the official, approximately 14,000 kanals, which were acquired and transferred in the name of LDA before April 9 this year, were cleared and the authority has issued allotment/exemption letters to as many as 7,200 people.

“There is no issue with this land (about 14,000 kanal), which included a chunk of about 6,000 kanal, as the same was acquired and transferred to LDA before April 9, the date when the NAB started probe into the project. The LDA is carrying out development work here with a slow pace,” the official said.

But the development partners sold files on their own to as many as 1,400 people, which, according to them, were from another chunk of around 5,000 kanal that is yet to be transferred to LDA [to date]. So the issue lies with these 1,400 files as NAB is of the view that why were the excess files sold when there was no land acquired and transferred to LDA. These 5,000 kanals, according to developers, were purchased by them after April 9.

He said the current LDA administration had briefed the bureau about the project besides providing the [respective] record off and on. During various discussions with the NAB authorities, the LDA’s management urged them to finalise the case and devise a strategy for LDA to go ahead.

“They (NAB) ask us verbally to go ahead. But the LDA administration wants something concrete or in writing from them, as they fear that how to go ahead when the project is being investigated in depth,” the official said.

He urged the NAB to decide the case as soon as possible, enabling the LDA to move ahead further in this regard.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2018